user login

Search

Item 17, A Prayer at the Levation

Item 17, A PRAYER AT THE LEVATION: EXPLANATORY NOTES

Title No title or incipit. The title given here comes from the rubric given to the text in the Vernon MS. The medieval index of the Vernon MS calls the poem “Sixe salutacions to the Trinité in tyme of the elevacioun of Godis body.” Though the poem is sometimes referred to by its first line, “Welcome, Lord, in forme of bred,” several other Middle English levation prayers share this same opening or very close versions of it. The text begins halfway down the page of fol. 26r, immediately after the conclusion of the preceding text.

22Heyll the Sone. Rate has transposed this and the following line, but since this mis­take makes no effect on the sense, no emendation has been made.

31rose upon ryse. A traditional image that appears in many secular love lyrics and in praises of the Virgin Mary. For an example of the former, see “Ichot a burde,” in Brook, Harley Lyrics, pp. 31–32. For an example of the latter, see “Heyl gloryous virgyne,” in C. Brown, Religious Lyrics of the XVth Century, pp. 53–54.

32perle of price. See Matthew 13:46–47.

33Heyll God. This reading is a conjectural emendation; see the Textual Notes. The stanza is defective, lacking a rhyme for the final line. Compare the reading in the Vernon MS:

Item 17, A PRAYER AT THE LEVATION: EXPLANATORY NOTES

Title No title or incipit. The title given here comes from the rubric given to the text in the Vernon MS. The medieval index of the Vernon MS calls the poem “Sixe salutacions to the Trinité in tyme of the elevacioun of Godis body.” Though the poem is sometimes referred to by its first line, “Welcome, Lord, in forme of bred,” several other Middle English levation prayers share this same opening or very close versions of it. The text begins halfway down the page of fol. 26r, immediately after the conclusion of the preceding text.

22Heyll the Sone. Rate has transposed this and the following line, but since this mis­take makes no effect on the sense, no emendation has been made.

31rose upon ryse. A traditional image that appears in many secular love lyrics and in praises of the Virgin Mary. For an example of the former, see “Ichot a burde,” in Brook, Harley Lyrics, pp. 31–32. For an example of the latter, see “Heyl gloryous virgyne,” in C. Brown, Religious Lyrics of the XVth Century, pp. 53–54.

32perle of price. See Matthew 13:46–47.

33Heyll God. This reading is a conjectural emendation; see the Textual Notes. The stanza is defective, lacking a rhyme for the final line. Compare the reading in the Vernon MS:

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

All TEAMS texts are under copyright, whether in hard copy or in electronic form. The on-line texts provided here are meant for individual use only. To download and make multiple copies for course use, you must have permission from the managing editor of Medieval Institute Publications. | Staff Login